The trade deficit unexpectedly widened in November as American retailers stocked up on imported goods for the holidays and demand for foreign automobiles rebounded following superstorm Sandy. The gap jumped 15.8 percent to $48.7 billion, exceeding all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists and the biggest since April, from $42.1 billion in October, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. Demand for consumer goods made overseas surged to a record. Falling petroleum prices prevented the import bill from climbing even more in November and, combined with improvement in the labor market, are ... (full story)